Golf cart covers are utilized to protect the occupants of the cart from adverse weather conditions and insects. The covers generally protect the front, sides and rear of the cart by covering the openings of the cart with panels made of vinyl, cloth or other similar materials. Golf carts typically have hard top covers to protect the occupants from the sunlight. Golf cart covers are generally attached to or are supported by the top of the cart and have the side panels of the cover secured to the body of the cart.
Commonly, a rear panel and left and right side panels are provided, however, unless the golf cart is fitted with a hard windshield, a front panel serving as a windshield may also be provided. To allow passenger ingress and egress and allow access to the golf clubs stored at the rear of the golf cart, the panels are commonly secured either to the adjacent panels by zippers or similar fasteners or to vertical side posts that support the roof structure.
Historically, many patents have taught panels for golf carts that protect the occupants from inclement weather. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,354,092 discloses a golf cart enclosure comprising a front, rear and/or side panels suspended about the periphery of the roof structure of a golf cart. One or more panel pockets are positioned about the periphery of the roof structure immediately above one or more of the panel(s) such that they may be rolled up for storage.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,694 discloses a golf cart enclosure comprising a roof panel having a configuration corresponding to the configuration of the roof structure of the golf cart and front, rear and side panels suspended therefrom about the periphery of the golf cart to completely enclose the golf cart. The roof panel of the enclosure comprises a peripheral hem which allows each panel suspended therefrom to be folded and rolled upwardly and then tucked under the roof panel. The peripheral flap is then fastened to the rim of the roof structure of the golf cart.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,832,788 discloses an improved door design for soft-sided golf cart covers. This product features a horizontal swing out design that removes the need for snaps or zippers and increases size of the door opening. This door features a magnetic door that eliminates zipper failure, amplifies entry and exit and improves the longevity of the cover.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,429,404 discloses a golf cart enclosure system including flexible portable strips of see-through plastic which extend across the vertical dimension between the golf cart canopy and the golf cart body, the top ends of the flexible strips being attached with a semi-permanent attachment device to the golf cart canopy in a rear-to-front overlapping fashion, so that during forward motion of the cart, the strips remain in position and in contact with one another: the bottom ends of the strips connected to the golf cart body by permanent magnets, or electromagnets wired to the golf cart battery and activated either automatically by the driver's footpad. or by an on-board switch.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,281,842 discloses a window blind unit, a curtain member unit and a clamping unit. The roller blind unit includes a roller rod that extends horizontally and that is rotatably mounted at or in proximity to an upper edge portion of the window, and a roller blind piece a top edge of which is connected to the roller rod and which is able to be wound around and extended from the roller rod.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,291,960 relates to roll up doors of the type employing flexible sheets forming curtains for closing doorways and, in particular to bottom bar apparatus for roll-up doors which are mountable on the lower ends of the door curtains.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,418,741 discloses a roller blind device comprising a flat circular tube for fixing the upper end of the special curtain and a second circular tube for fixing the lower end of the special curtain.